Killu Milagai Rasam - Dedicating to a loved one!

Duh... Another rasam? Why is it again RASAM???? Before you could fire me with any questions, let me clarify! More than this rasam, my memories associated with this rasam are more special!

Every one of us has this special person in life whom we love/like unconditionally.. No no wait! I am not talking about Parents, Spouse, In-laws, Boy friend/Girl friend, Siblings.. True that we love these people and we always need to love them! But apart from these relationships, we may share a special bond with one person, who may be a friend, a distant relative, a cousin or a colleague, whom we love/like without any special reason! Do you agree with me?

So I am dedicating this post, to my that-special-person, my cousin, S. I am 12 years elder than her, but I am her favorite "Akka" and she is my sweetie-pie. Right from her childhood (and mine too! You know, I am not that old!) we have a mutual affection for each other, which keeps growing each day. I was (and am) so pleasantly happy to love and be loved by a cousin, as I don't have siblings and I used to be one nasty, mean, b****y cousin to the rest of them ;)

And this rasam, is one of auntie's speciality and S's and my favorite too. Now over to our "Killu Milagai Rasam"... Since "Fenugreek" is a main flavoring ingredient of this Rasam, I would like to send this to, SE (Denu)'s Cooking with Seeds:Fenugreek. CWS was initiated by Priya and hosted this month by SE.


Killu Milagai Rasam
Broken Chilli Rasam/Soup

What we need:
Tamarind - a lemon sized ball
Red Chillies - 3 to 4
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Ghee - a tbsp.
Salt - according to taste
Water - as needed
Curry leaves - a sprig
Coriander, finely chopped - 2 tbsp. Optional

How to do:
1. Extract the tamarind in 2 cups of warm water. Set aside.
2. Heat Ghee in a deep bottomed vessel and add the fenugreek seeds.
3. Wait till they start turning brown, now add the mustard and allow it to pop.
4. Add cumin, torn/broken red chilli pieces and curry leaves.
5. When they are done, throw in some Asafoetida and a pinch of turmeric powder.
6. Now add the extracted tamarind water with salt. Check for seasoning and adjust the consistency according to taste.
7. Bring to a boil and remove.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice. To serve as a soup, let this rest for sometime, this is for the tempering's flavor to seep in, and then strain and serve.

Award time:
My lovely buddies never stop sharing their happiness with me. So here comes another shower of appreciation.
Priya on her 200th post shared with me this award. Hearty Congratulations dearie, wish you many many such wonderful milestones! *wondering how long would it take for me reach that milestone*

Malar has passed on to me:

Nithu shared with me:

Devi has shared with me:


Hearty congrats to Sara too, on her 200th post.
Thank you so much friends. Your every comment, award only boosts me to do better. Kindly do accept these awards from me too!

T&T Rotli from Lataji's Kitchen
Lataji is one blogger I always look upon and admire at. The way she gives every minute detail when making the dishes, her constant encouragement, and her immediate response to any queries only teach me how to be more perfect as a blogger! Here's something I tried from her kitchen and absolutely loved!
These Rotli's were so soft and perfectly layered that I actually kept peeping into the layers the first time I made it. :) And now whenever I am making Roti's at leisure, I make Rotli's instead. Thanks Lataji, for presenting us such wonderful recipes

It was a long post, I know. Here I sign off, promising to see you again with a Guest Post. Till then, Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging!

Thakali Rasam & Tested and tried Sandhya's Coriander Roti

Another lazy Sunday.. Another round of thinking what to do for Brunch....

So, I was sipping my coffee and staring out from my window at the Alps when I heard some rattling from the kitchen. Rest assured that I don't own cats, I took a peek and was surprised to see my darling hubby playing around with tomatoes and tamarind. A smile! and I understood that he had taken the responsibility of the day's cooking. What more could make you as happy as to see your loved one cooking for you! :)

So this rasam was prepared by none other than my loving V. For most of my blogger buddies, this recipe is a breeze and probably a "Is this a recipe at all?" question has already popped up. I am posting this for the benefit of absolute beginners and bachelors.

Here we go!!

Thakali Rasam
Serves 2
What we need:
Tomato, medium sized - 1
Tamarind extract - made from a marble sized tamarind ball
Rasam Powder - 2 tbsp.
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed
Coriander - for garnishing

For tempering:
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1tsp.
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig

How to do:

1. Chop the tomatoes. Prepare the tamarind extract by squeezing the tamarind using a cup of warm water.

2. In a deep bottomed vessel, put the chopped tomatoes, tamarind extract, rasam powder, salt, asafoetida and stir well.

3. Keep in this medium-high flame, till it comes to a boil. Remove from flame and set aside.

4. In a small pan, heat ghee and add mustard. When it starts to pop, add cumin, asafoetida and curry leaves.

5. Add this tempering to the rasam and garnish with coriander.

Note: The most important thing about Rasam is the flavor. Do not let the rasam boil for more than once. It is the secret to retain the flavor.

Another secret to a lip-smacking rasam is Coriander and Asafoetida. Both these ingredients increase the flavor and taste by many-folds.

Tested and Tried:

Sandhya's Coriander Roti

Last Sunday, I tried out the Coriander Roti from Sandhya's Kitchen . The only change I did was to omit the green chillies and add Jeera instead of Ajwain. It was definitely worth the try and was a welcome change to an otherwise normal roti. As Sandhya had posted, it was also an effective way to use up all the drying Coriander. :)

Thanks again Sandhya , for sharing it with us! For the original recipe, please click here.

Rasam Mix (Wet)

The idea of having a rasam mix was born out those bottles I used to see at Ambika Appalam Depot, Sri Krishna Sweets in Chennai. They are very much a boon to the bachelors and even us, house-wives, to make rasam in less than 3 minutes.

We had planned for a long weekend get-away to Paris and MIL was already planning for the menu after holidays; I must say she is a dheerga darisi, because after a long holiday that had only french fries and pizza for lunch and dinner (thankfully the hotel we stayed provided a decent American breakfast.. But no indian there too!!), I was looking a spicy homemade rasam to satisfy my palates.

We prepared this mix before hand and kept in the fridge. It was just a work of 3 minutes to make the rasam and less than that to happily to drink it off the plate ;) And I will bet anywhere, nothing can be so overwhelming than having a simple homemade rasam after you palates have died consuming an all-foreign-food!! :)

The quantity I have mentioned here makes enough rasam for 3 to 4 people. Adjust the ingredients accordingly to your needs.

Rasam Mix (Wet)

What we need:
Tomato, medium sized - 1
Tamarind extract - 5 to 6 tbsp. Made from a marble sized tamarind ball
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Dhania (Coriander) seeds - 1 tbsp.
Pepper corns - 6 to 7
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Chana dal - 1 tbsp.
Toor dal - 1 tbsp. Optional, but gives a frothy texture
Red Chillies - 2 to 3
Salt - as needed

How to do:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients except tomato and tamarind extract.
2. Blend the roasted ingredients along with salt, tomato and tamarind in a mixer/blender without adding water.
3. Transfer to an air-tight jar and store it in the refrigerator.

Making Rasam with this mix:

Dilute this mix with enough quantity(2 to 3 glass) of water. Bring it to a boil, garnish with coriander leaves.

Tips: Temper mustard and cumin seeds in Ghee and add to this mixture to give a better flavor. Grind a pod of garlic along with the other ingredients for an added flavor and taste.

Lemon Rasam

Rasam is a house-hold dish in most of the south indian homes. Not all restaurants serve this unique speciality; so if you want to taste an authentic one, you'll have to head to one of these houses. There are a lots of varieties of rasam, and varies with each and every district. Loosely translated, rasam is often known as a soup, that is eaten with rice or drank as an appetizer.

Reminds of a story that my grandma used to tell me.. "Once there was this King who wanted to appoint a "sapattu raman" (one who tests and tastes the dishes before the king can have it). He announced a feast where everyone in the village can eat, but noone should make any "slurping" sound when the rasam is served, or else they'll be beheaded! Ok, now all our villagers are happily enjoying the feast; but when the rasam came, much to the temptation of the people, it was fantastically tasty. But none could make the usual slurping sound and were terribly suppressing their desire. But one man started off slurping and and drinking the rasam straight out of his hand, saying "Never tasted such a rasam in my life! What the hell! They can behead me only once. I am glad to die after eating this fantastic rasam!!" Needless to say, he became the Kings' Saapattu Raman." :)

Rasam tastes best when prepared in an "Eeya sombu" or a lead vessel. This vessel is usually handed-down over generations. But nowadays, people consider it not good for health because of the fear of lead melting down during cooking. Can somebody let me know if this is true? Because of this fear, even my "eeya sombu" is resting in the attic. Albeit all these arguments, nothing can win over the rasam prepared in that vessel.

Now you know how much I like rasam, over to our recipe. This Lemon rasam has lot of medicinal value. It is usually prepared on rainy days, when children come with running noses and flu! It is also a kind of "pathiya samayal" or the "food as medicine".

Lemon rasam / Yelumichai rasam
South Indian dal soup flavored with ginger and lemon
Serves 2

What we need:
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 2" inches, grated
Lemon juice - 5 to 6 spoons
Tomato, small - 1, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 1 or 2, split vertically
Turmeric powder -1 tsp.
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed
Ghee - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tbsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Asafetida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 2 to 3 sprigs

How to do:

Method 1:

1. Cook and mash the dal well.
2. In a deep bottomed pan, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds.
3. When they start to pop, add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, curry leaves and asafetida.
4. Add the grated ginger, green chillies and tomato.
5. When the tomato is cooked, add the mashed dal, salt and water.
6. Allow it to come to a boil and remove from flame.
7. Add the lemon juice and stir well.

Method 2: (For those like my hubby who don't like picking out the ginger, curry leaves)

1. In a mixer/blender, grind together ginger, curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric powder.
2. In a deep bottomed vessel, boil tomatoes till done and add the ground paste. Let it come to a boil and add the mashed dal. Let it come to one more boil (or till a slight foam forms) and remove from flame.
3. In a small pan, heat ghee or oil and add the mustard, cumin seeds, asafetida and add this to the rasam.
4. Stir the lemon juice.

Serve with rice and appalam or drink it as a refreshing appetizer.

Watch out for different varieties of Rasam, coming soon!!